Ella Campbell The Cuckoo's Calling
by lilyfr3d
Summary: {BBC version} Ella Campbell the only adopted child of the Campbell family, living by herself with her roommate Lindsey James who introduces Ella to her cousin Robin Ellacott, who recognises the name Campbell, the two become close friends and some how she is back in the life of Cormoran Blue Strike.
1. Chapter 1: Plans for the night

She sat at the kitchen table waiting for her roommate to show up, she had gone out the night before and she hadn't come home yet, she had begun to worry. So she called her.

"Lindsey, where the hell are you?" Was the first thing that she said when her roommate had picked up her phone, her worry finally dying down a bit for the first time since she had woke up this morning.

"Sorry Ella, I totally forgot to call you, don't worry though, I was spending the night with Brad" Lindsey said after hearing the worry in Ella voice.

Brad was Lindsey long term on and off again boyfriend that she had met through Ella's older sister, Charlotte, their relationship reminded her a bit of her sister and her on and off boyfriend except neither of them where mythomaniac like Charlotte.

"Right, sorry, I shouldn't worry really" Ella stated.

"Ella it's okay that you worry, it only makes you human" Lindsey soothed Ella.

For as long as Ella could remember she had always been the black sheep in her family, the Campbell's were a very high class family made up of her mum; Tula Clermont, her father; Anthony Campbell, her two brothers; Valentine and Sacha, her two sisters; Charlotte and Amelia and then there was herself. Since the moment that Ella was adopted there was always a rivalry between Charlotte and herself and that only increased when Charlotte had met Cormoran Strike.

Ella, only technically being a few months younger than Charlotte, got into Oxford too but on the law course instead of Catullus which Charlotte was studying, while being in university Charlotte had chosen to go into private accommodations whereas Ella went for shared accommodations where Ella met her roommate Lindsey.

Also on the Law course was the one and only Cormoran Strike who she had sat next to on the first day at oxford he was sweet to her and they had become fast friends in between their lessons and during their lessons. So one day during their lesson Ella invited him out with Lindsey where he met charlotte.

"Ella you still there?" Lindsey Asked when she heard nothing coming from Ella.

"Yeah sorry, I was just lost in thought." Ella replied

"Okay, well I'm now on my way home so I'll see you later yeah?" Lindsey said

"Yeah Bye" Ella replied.

Lindsey had come home about half an hour later while Ella was sitting on the sofa watching the news when Charlotte's named popped up on her phone, Ella had picked up her phone to answer it when Lindsey had tried to stop her but she picked it up anyway.

"Charlotte, What can I do for you?" Ella answered when she picked up

"You can talk to Cormoran?" Charlotte demanded.

"Why?" She asked

"Cormoran left me, he says it's for good this time." Charlotte whined.

"So you want me to convince him to take you back. Again." Ella sighed, she was getting bored of the same routine, they'd break up and she'd get them back together.

"Yes" Charlotte said with a sigh happy that she understood what she wanted.

"No." Ella replied calmly

"What?" Charlotte was confused she thought Ella was going to get them back together like before but she wasn't not this time, never again.

"I said no. Charlotte you fucked that man up bad with your lies, so no I'm not going to help you" Ella was now getting angry.

"And why not?" Charlotte questioned.

"Because I'm so proud of him, he left you, you were toxic for him and you hurt him badly when you lied to him and your toxic for me, so maybe he had the right idea cutting you out of his life and I should take some notes and do the same. Goodbye Charlotte." Ella then hung up the phone and walked back into the living room.

"I'm proud of you Ella" Lindsey said as she rushed up to Ella to give her a hug, she knew not to listen in on her and Charlotte talking but she couldn't help it and when Ella said she was done with Charlotte she was so proud.

"Thanks Lindsey, I'm proud of myself and Cormoran, he left her." Ella said

"Yeah I know I heard" Lindsey Replied.

"Of course you did" Ella Muttered under her breath.

"Let's go out tonight, I'll invite Robin." Lindsey suggested.

"Your cousin Robin, the temp?" Ella questioned

"Yeah" Lindsey Replied from the bathroom.

"Alright." Ella agreed.


	2. Chapter 2: Flashback: house rules

Flashback one; house rules

_Ella Campbell was sitting in the limo that was dropping off her older by a few months sister at her private accommodation at oxford university, the driver had just pulled out all of her luggage from the boot of the limo and left it on the side of the road of where she was going to live._

_Charlotte wasn't a big fan of living with someone or sharing as an aspect at all but since Ella was the only one that was adopted so she was the only one ever got to hear the word no meaning she was used to sharing things and living with a lot of people unlike the rest of her family._

"_Goodbye miss Charlotte" said the driver, Alfred._

_Charlotte said nothing so Alfred got in the limo and drove to the Oxford campus where Ella would be living._

_Once upon arriving at the house that Ella would be living for the duration of the time she would be at oxford, Alfred pulled out the rest of the bags that were left in boot that belonged to Ella._

"_Thank you Alfred, I'll see you at Christmas then." Ella said _

"_Goodbye Miss Ella" Alfred said, a couple of tears falling out of his eyes, Ella had always been his favourite from the moment she was adopted, she was the sweetest little girl he had ever met._

"_Goodbye Alfred." Ella said as she hugged the driver a small smile it making itself home on her face and with that Alfred got back into the limo and drove back to London._

_Upon making it up to her room with one of her bags the other left out front of the building Ella notice her roommate was already in their room._

"_Hello you must be Ella, I'm Lindsey." Lindsey introduced herself._

"_Yes I'm Ella, nice to meet you Lindsey" Ella said politely._

"_Likewise" Lindsey said as she put some of her things on the shelf by her bed. _

"_Do you think you could help me with the rest of my bags please?" Ella Asked politely she didn't want to be a burden like felt when she was around Charlotte._

"_Yes of course you can." Lindsey said, Lindsey had read up on the Campbell's, of course she had everyone had, but Ella didn't seem anything like the rest of her family, she wasn't stuck up like them and she was in shared accommodation instead of private like her sister._

"_Thank You." Ella said, it was nice to not be seen as a burden to someone for one, ever since she was adopted at two years old she felt like a burden to the Campbell family, her parents loved her don't get her wrong but it was pretty obvious that Charlotte didn't like Ella at all._

"_Lets go get the rest of your bags Ella" Lindsey said snapping Ella out of her thoughts as she was being dragged down the hall to the lift to get the rest of her bags. _

_A few hours, by a few hours she means around five hours later, they finally finished unpacking all of their clothes and other belongings into their own sides of the room " so what are you majoring in ?" Lindsey asked._

"_Law, I'm majoring in Law, what about you?" Ella truly wanted to know what Lindsey was Majoring in so that she knew when she would have to be in the room alone and when she would be in the room with Lindsey._

"_Medicine, I want to become a doctor, like my dad."Lindsey answered, Ella thought it was sweet that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps, that wasn't what it was like that with Ella she didn't want to be an 'It Girl' like her mother or an academic and broadcaster like her father, she wanted something better and out of the spotlight for herself but she was never going to be out of the spotlight she was a Campbell._

"_That's sweet" Ella said _

"_Thanks" Lindsey said with a smile on her face Ella seemed to be one of the sweetest people that Lindsey had ever met._

"_I think that we need to set some house rules in case anything was to happen." Lindsey said with a knowing smirk on her face a little while later._

"_Alright." Ella said, already knowing where this was going._

"_Rule one: no lying to each other" Lindsey suggested. _

"_Rule two: if one is late wake them up." Ella suggested._

"_Rule three: if there's a scrunchies on the doorknob no entering the room" Ella knew that Lindsey would say a rule like this and it made Ella feel like the two where closer to being friends than before._

"_Rule four: don't borrow things without asking," Ella said._

"_Rule five: don't take too long in the shower" Lindsey said._

"_Rule six: don't gossip or talk trash about your roommate," Ella suggested making Lindsey laugh._

"_Rule seven: refill the toilet paper when it is out" Lindsey suggested making Ella laugh._

"_Rule eight: don't disturb the other roommate when they are studying when you are not" Ella said._

"_Rule nine: don't let boys get in between us ever" Lindsey said making Ella Smile._

"_Rule ten: never break any of these rules." Ella laughed._

"_Do you solemnly promise to keep all of these house rules Ella?" Lindsey questioned._

"_I do and do you Lindsey solemnly promise to keep all of these house rules?" Ella asked _

"_I do" Lindsey laughed and then Ella joined in. _


	3. Chapter 3: Night Out on the Town

Chapter Two: A Night on the Town.

"What good is my Law degree if I don't even like the job I've got?" Ella whined as she slipped her outfit for the night then leaving her bedroom to show Lindsey the outfit she had picked out.

"You love being a lawyer though" Lindsey said, thoroughly looking at Ella's outfit, shaking head while mouthing the words 'No.' making Ella nod her head and go back into her bedroom to pick a new outfit.

"Yeah I know, that's why I don't know if I should quit my job or not, I love being a lawyer but I'm bored of the same thing over and over again." Ella said through her bedroom door.

"Like your fight with Charlotte about you trying to fix Cormorans and her relationship because you do it over and over again." Lindsey said waiting for Ella to leave her room with a new outfit on.

"Why are you bringing that up now?" Ella said through the door now feeling sad at the mention of Cormoran.

"Because you won't admit that you're in love with him and you have been for awhile, what a few months after you met him?" Lindsey taunted, Ella knew she was going to it at some point during the day she usually did when it had something to do with Cormoran.

Ella then left her bedroom in a new outfit it was: a black crop top with a v line neck, tight checkered trousers, a pair of black heeled boots, a leather jacket, her hair was it's usual blond curls which up until a few months ago used to be brunette and her arrow necklace that she always wore.

"I'm not in love with Cormoran Strike, I love him there's a difference, the guys been one of closest friends, could even say best friend since I was nineteen years old and even if I did he's only just left Charlotte, I wouldn't want to put him in that situation again." Ella said standing in front of the mirror waiting for Lindsey's opinion on the outfit.

"Whatever you say Ella" Lindsey Muttered under her breath, she knew the truth and that was that both her and Cormoran had feelings for each other just before he met Charlotte and then anything that was going on between them ceased to exist.

"What was that Lindsey?" Ella asked knowing full well what she said but she wanted to give her the chance to change what she had said and they both knew it.

"I said I liked the outfit." Lindsey said knowing if she repeated what she said that both of them would get into an argument over Cormoran Strike and they both knew that, that would be stupid.

"Thanks" Ella said as she looked out of the window " Is Robin coming?" Ella asked waiting for Lindsey to reply.

"Yeah, she said she meet us there, apparently she has a new position with the temp agency and want to tell me all about it, she also said she can't wait to meet you." Lindsey said, Ella thought it was sweet that Lindsey cousin couldn't wait to meet her.

"Aww, I can't wait to meet her as well." Ella said in a sweet tone still looking out of the window, lost in thought her brain wander off to the thought of Cormoran and how he was doing, she really did miss him.

"You ready to go El's?" Lindsey asked snapping Ella out of her daze and succeeding at it as well.

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the car in a little bit, there something I need to do first." Ella said as Lindsey nodded her head and left their flat heading down to the car.

Once Lindsey had left the flat Ella pulled out her phone and skimmed through her contacts on her phone before coming across Cormoran's name, pressing the call button on the phone she placed it to her ear listing to it ring a few times before she got his voicemail.

"Hi Corm, it's Ella, you probably already knew that but I was um only calling to check if you were okay and apparently you are so um bye then." Ella said leave him a voicemail before getting the rest of her stuff and leaving the flat locking the door behind her.

They had been waiting in the pub for about five minutes when Robin showed up sitting at the table with the two "Hey Linds" Robin greeted her cousin with a hug, it was obvious the two hadn't seen each other in a while.

The Robin turned to Ella " Hi you must be Ella, I'm Robin" Robin introduced herself, of course she already knew of Ella, well she knew what the tabloids had put out about her after a while there wasn't much about her in the tabloids.

"Yes I am, hi it so nice to finally meet you" Ella said with a friendly smile on her face, she had always thought that having a friendly smile on her face made her more approachable then when she didn't have one on her face.

"You too" Robin replied with the same smile on her face, for Robin it was nice to meet the person that her cousin talked so much about and who apparently knew her new boss from what the tabloids said, with him dating her sister.

"So shall I go get us some drinks then." Lindsey offered, she wanted her best friend and her cousin slash best friend to get along and she thought that they would they both have a lot of things in common. " What do you want?" she asked

" Can I have a large white wine please?" Robin asked

"Um dark fruits please." Ella stated, handing a twenty pound note to Lindsey "Here I'll pay for the first rounds." Ella insisted and Lindsey took the note from Ella.

"Yeah" Lindsey said as she walked over to the bar to order the drinks.

Soon enough Lindsey had returned to the table with their drinks " a pint of Dark fruits for Ella, a large white wine for robin and a cola for me." Lindsey said handing the drinks to Ella and Robin, Lindsey had been disappointed when she realised that she couldn't have any or not a lot of alcohol because she was the designated driver, her and Ella would alternate on their nights out but with her being the designated driver she could only have about four glasses of wine that night.

"So you wanted to tell me about this new placement you have with the temp company" Lindsey tempted her cousin into a conversation.

"Oh yeah, I work as a temp for a private investigator now." Robin said sounding quite happy with the new placement.

"Oh yeah I bet that fun, who's the private investigator?" Ella asked really quite intrigued by her last statement.

"I work for Cormoran Strike" Robin said making Ella freeze what she was doing.

"Cormoran Strike?" Ella asked trying not to let Robin know that she knew him but to Robin it was very obvious that Ella knew him plus the fact that she saw a picture of both of them together in a newspaper article.

"Yeah, you know him don't you Ella?" Robin asked, she wasn't trying to be rude, she really just wanted to get to know her cousins best friend without the help of the tabloids.

Ella nodded but said nothing of the matter but Lindsey did " Yeah we both knew him, she knew him longer but we both knew him." Robin was surprised that her cousin also knew her new boss but not as surprised as she thought she was going to be, she had a hunch, Lindsey had always said that her and Ella knew each other from college,so she guessed that Lindsey also knew him as well.

"We met at university we were on the same course as me, he was sweet, still is, then he met my sister and we practically stop talking until after his mum died, then we did actually stop talking, he stop answering my calls, I thought it was because of Charlotte, that she told him to stop talking to me but now that sounds childish, he probably doesn't have time to talk to me." Ella rambled she got like this sometimes, when she was nervous generally.

After hearing her ramble on Ella thought that Robin would of gotten bored of her but that was the furthest from the truth, Ella rambling only made Robin like Ella a lot more. " You know what you should come by the office tomorrow Ella, we could go for lunch, get to know each other without Linds around and you can see Cormoran again." Robin offered hoping she could reunite some old friends and makes some new ones while she was at it.

Ella wasn't quite sure about going to the office to meet Robin for lunch but she definitely wanted to meet her for lunch but Ella was okay with facing her fears and Robin was right it was a chance to see Cormoran again " Yeah alright let's do it." Ella agreed.

After Ella had agreed both Robin and Ella felt like they were going to become very close friends and with Robins help Ella may just get to be friends with Cormoran again.


	4. Chapter 4:Flashback: First Day on Campus

Flashback two: First Day on Campus.

"_Cormoran Strike." A voice from beside Ella said making her look in the direction of the person who said it._

" _No, Ella Campbell." Ella said cheekily with a cheeky smile on her face, laughing a little bit trying to hide how nervous she truly was._

"_Very funny." The person said as he laughed a little bit too, he like this girl already she knew how to have a laugh, he hadn't met many girls who were both pretty and new how to have a laugh._

"_Am I? Good. Funny's good" Ella said she liked this man that was standing next to her, he understood her humor just a bit. Only him and Lindsey understood her humor, Lindsey only understood it because they share a room with each other but this person understood it because he just understood it._

"_I'm Cormoran strike as I introduced earlier" The man, Cormoran as she had discovered said the cheeky smile now growing on his face, she thought that the smile look cute on his dishevelled face._

"_I'm Ella Campbell" Ella said as she put her hand out for Cormoran to shake, Cormoran took it and he shook it " It's nice to make your acquaintance dear sir." Ella said, she normally wasn't such a cheeky person but around Cormoran she felt like it was the right way to act._

"_And you milady." Cormoran said in a fake posh accent, he hated to fake accent but Ella seemed to love it because it made her laugh and so it made Cormoran like just a little bit more._

_It wasn't long after their conversation that the lesson lesson began and the two had to focus on what their tutor was saying._

_After the Lesson was over Ella and Cormoran walk out of the room together laughing at something one of the other students had said not quite remembering what it was that was said._

"_Ella Campbell." Cormoran whispered he know the name rung a bell in his head and now he had figured it out._

"_Yeah" Ella said turning around to face._

"_That name sound familiar,you're not related to an Anthony Campbell are you?" Cormoran inquired._

"_I'm his adopted daughter, I'm surprised you didn't notice it sooner, I mean I know who you are, you're the son of rockstar Jonny Rokeby and model Leda Strike, I didn't want to say anything earlier, it would have sounded weird." Ella Rambled Cormoran had to admit he thought it was cute when Ella was all shy it made her more her._

_After she had finished talking to Cormoran she had went to the lunch hall to meet up with Lindsey like she promised she would do earlier that morning when Ella walked into the lunch hall she noticed the Lindsey was sitting at the table with another girl, Lindsey probably knew her from her medical class._

"_Hey Lindsey" Ella said as she sat down next to her roommate._

"_Hey Ella, This is Mia, she one of the girls from my medical class," Lindsey said greeting Ella "Mia this is my roommate Ella, she taking Law." _

_Both of the girls on opposite sides of Lindsey said a shy hello and got on with their eating, by the time they had all finished eating, Mia turned to Ella "Do you take Law with Cormoran Strike" Ella nodded her head "Do you think you could introduce me to him." Ella shook her head._

"_I don't really think that's a good idea I've only talked to the guy once and that was in the first lesson today, he does seem sweet though." Ella said and like they say speak of the devil and he shall appear._

_Cormoran had just entered the hall with a man who was probably his roommate,they looked to be having an interesting conversation and deep in it too, but as Cormoran looked up he noticed Ella sitting at one of the tables with who looked to be her roommate that she mention when the two were talking before class began._

"_You paying attention Cormoran?" His roommate asked getting his attention back on him._

"_Yeah sorry" Cormoran apologise but he couldn't help but look at Ella, she was really quite cute and she was funny which was a bonus._

"_Who is it you keep look over to?" He roommate questioned._

"_Ella, I sat next to her in my Law class, she sweet and funny…" before Cormoran could finish his sentence he was pulled over to one of the other tables by his roommate._

"_Come on, let's go find somewhere to sit" insisted his roommate, Cormoran didn't have the energy nor the time to argue with his roommate so he let he drag him one of the other tables._

_Back at the table with Ella and Lindsey Mia was still babbling on about Cormoran strike and how cute he was, don't get Ella wrong she though Cormoran was Handsome but she didn't want to keep going on about it._

_Blanking out Mia's Babbling, Lindsey turned to Ella " So you met Cormoran Strike and you didn't tell me?" Lindsey said with a cheeky smile on her face, Ella laughed at the way Lindsey was reacting to the news it was like she was told the world was going to end._

"_Yeah?" Ella stated but it came out as more of a question than an answer but Lindsey didn't mind, she liked that about Ella; That she could be shy and not be afraid of what everybody else thinks about them being shy._

"_He couldn't stop looking at you when he entered the room." Lindsey said gushing about the fact the Ella had met a cute guy, the statement had made Ella blush furiously because she had noticed he was staring at her she had hoped that no one else had._

"_No he wasn't and even if he was, he's not interested in me whatsoever I think Charlotte would be more of his type anyway." This was what Ella did every time someone like her, she thought she wasn't good enough for anyone so she always said that Charlotte was their type and tried to set the two up._

_From childhood Charlotte didn't like Ella one bit, but Ella, love everyone in her family including Charlotte, that why she tried to set up the guy she likes up with Charlotte, who is much more prettier and smarter than Ella would ever be. But Charlotte only ever took them because she thought it Would hurt Ella and when she realised it didn't she let them go._

"_Your going to give him to Charlotte are you?" Lindsey Questioned, she really hoped that she would say no, she really wanted her new best friend to be as happy as she could be and she could see that happening with Cormoran._

"_God no" Ella said making Lindsey smile " I like this one and even if Charlotte is more his type, there's no harm in putting up a fighting chance and who knows maybe I might win" The last statement that Ella said made Lindsey smile widder she liked this side to Ella, the side that would fight for the thing that she wanted. _


	5. Chapter 5: Office Meeting

Chapter Five: Office Meeting.

Ella had always been a nervous reck. From the minute she was adopted to right up until university , so she wasn't very surprised when her lunch break rolled around and she had begun to feel less nervous than when she woke up that morning.

Only two people in her life. Ever! Knew that she was a nervous reck no matter what in uni and one of isn't even in her life anymore, those two people where; Lindsey and Cormoran. She hoped soon enough that more people would understand how she was like sometimes.

Ella, that day, didn't have the car, Lindsey had it, which meant that she had to take the underground to Denmark Street, that meant that she had to leave her office building as soon as her lunch break began.

Ella's closest friends at the firm was the receptionist; Pamala, who was a few years her senior and like to tell Ella about her husband and their twins; Adam and Joy who were five. And the woman who sat in the cubicle next to hers; Alice, who was the same age as her and was now engaged to her longtime boyfriend; Aaron. They were planning a June wedding.

As Ella had gotten up to leave her cubicle to meet Robin for lunch Alice had stopped her "where are you going?" Alice asked making Ella turn to her, picking jacket off of the chair she usually sat in.

"I'm meeting a friend for lunch." Ella answered as she made her way to the reception.

"Is it Lindsey?" Alice yelled as she saw Ella making her prompt exit.

"No." Ella called over her shoulder laughing, for the first time in awhile she was happy and everyone was ecstatic to see her so happy.

Ella made her way to Piccadilly Circus in record time. Getting on the next train from that line, stopping off at the next stop, getting on the next train at that stop and then making her way to Tottenham Court Road the closest underground station to Denmark Street, where the office layed.

Once Ella had got off the train at Tottenham Court Road she hastily made her way through the crowd of rushing people and upto the main road. Ella had made it to the main road without any delay.

As soon as she had got to the main road she took a leisurely walk to Denmark Road. she walked along the dirty roads of Soho with a smile on her face, she was happy, truly happy and she hadn't felt that way in awhile.

She sent a quick message to Lindsey and Alice when she inched closer to the building, it was a quick message informing them that she had made it there safely and that she was fine.

When she got to the door of the building she found that it was unlocked so she made her way over to the only way up the building, the stairs, she that the stairs would tire her out but like she said earlier the stairs were the only way up the up the stairs, Ella made sure to have a good look around at the building that Robin had so much as begged her to come to that day.

The building itself was alright looking she thought, as she walked up the stairs some of the doors were open letting her see what the insides of the flats looked like, as she inched closer to the top of the building, she noticed that one of the doors in the building had a glass window in the middle of it unlike the rest of the doors on the way up.

On the door in front of her written in bold, white letter where 'C. ' and that insured Ella that, that was where she needed to be. She knocked on the door in front of her, making her presence known to however was in the front room.

"Yeah?" Ella heard in response, the voice was dainty and soft so Ella knew that it was Robin, Cormoran had more of a gruff voice and a Cornish accent added on top. Ella opened the door hoping that it was only Robin in the front room.

As Ella opened the door, Cormoran was standing by the sink in the little kitchenette, which was off to the side of the front room, he was making a cup of coffee, he hadn't had one all morning and apparently he really needed one, he could hardly keep his eyes open.

"Hello Robin." The voice said, he was sure it was just one of Robin's friends coming to visit her at her new job on their lunch break, that was up until that moment, he knew that voice,of course he knew that voice, he hadn't heard it in awhile but he knew it. It was Ella.

Cormoran stood in the kitchenette, frozen, trying to go unnoticed by the new female in the room, he was happy to see Ella of course he was but like he said earlier they hadn't talked in awhile so he was nervous.

"Hello Ella, I'm glad you could make it" Robin joyfully said, putting emphasis on her name, nodding her head off to the kitchenette in the corner where he was trying to hide, indicating to Ella that he was there, Ella smiled at Robin.

"So am I." Ella said, it was nice to get out of the office for lunch she hadn't done that in awhile.

From behind her Ella could feel Cormoran trying to exit to his office skilfully but that odd were not in his favour and on that day he did not have the skills required for that sort of mission, he knocked some of the mugs off of the side, not smashing them but just loud enough to make a sound, Ella laughed silently, he really had lost his touch.

"Don't even think about it Cormoran Strike." Ella said, a lot of power in her voice that it scared Cormoran quite a bit, he hadn't seen that much power in Ella in a long time, it was nice to see it again.

"Ella" Cormoran said,his head bowed, he didn't want Ella to see what a total mess he was since he joined the army, he knew that she knew that he was a little bit of a mess when he was with Charlotte because Charlotte had probably told her.

"Hello Corm." Ella said, a smile gracing her face, the sunlight shining through the window only made her look so much better than when they were in university, she was pretty then but now, now she was beautiful which didn't come as a surprise to Cormoran.

"I'll give you two a few minutes." Robin whispered as she made her was to the door, getting her jacket from the rack "I'll meet you out front." she said Ella as she manoeuvred her way around the pair.

Once Robin had left the office Ella turned back to face Cormoran "You look like shit Corm" Ella complement him making Cormoran laugh, only a few people in his life had ever been that upfront with him; Isle, Nick, Ella and Lindsey. His three best friends and well Lindsey she wasn't really his best friend but she was a close one. It was a nice change to have someone be upfront with him.

"Gee. Thanks Ella." Cormoran said sarcastically but with a hint of truth behind it. "You look good." he said when he had a good look at her, she didn't look much different but she did look older, he guessed that came with that fact she was.

"Thanks." Ella said Bashfully with a blush making its way to her already rosie cheeks and the same smile he remember gracing her lips but soon Ella had became serious " I heard about you and Charlotte." Ella said surprising Cormoran, he didn't think that they would talk about that.

"Yeah" he whispered, trying to get off the topic as quickly as he could.

"I'm proud of you." Ella praised him, surprising him once again " Charlotte told me." she said, now that wasn't much of a surprise Charlotte always used their friendship to her advantage, whenever they would break up Charlotte would call Ella to fix it, so he guessed she did it again, only Ella told her no.

"I told her no" Ella said,getting his attention when she noticed that look on his face, the same one he always had when had to talk him into taking Charlotte back, he smiled at her thankfully.

"Thank you." He said.

Ella nodded her head, looking at the watch that was on her wrist she notice that Robin had left about five minute ago and was still waiting for Ella to come down stairs so they could go get their lunch "I've got to go Robin's waiting for me downstairs but we should catch up soon maybe at the pub down the road." Ella said hopefully, Cormoran nodded his head in agreement. "Okay," Ella said making her way towards the door, leaving Cormoran to his thoughts.

Ella had made it to the bottom of the stairs as quickly as she could meeting Robin out front of the building "Come on, then let's go get some lunch," Ella said linking arms with Robin as they made their way down the road.


End file.
